Fallout
by Sakurafeather
Summary: Regular life is broken for two unlucky strangers who meet under horrible circumstances with the help of comrades along the way, Naruto and Sasuke battle through a zombie infested America together. Unknown to them, the plot is thicker than they think. Yaoi
1. Chapter 1

**AN: **Lately I've been in a zombie mood. I love the _Left 4 Dead_ games and reading _World War Z_ were probably what made me want to write a Naruto zombie fic. I don't know if it's been done, if it has I haven't read them. As ya'll know, zombie stories have a lot of angst, a lot of death, and so many terrible things, but they can also have humor like _Zombieland_ and _Shawn of the Dead_. I want to say the story is a bit in between. Originally the plot was going for a Left 4 Dead 2 fic that dealt with Nick's and Ellis' relationship as they battle their way through a zombie infested America. Now it will be a SasuNaru zombie fic so yes there will be yaoi.

**Important Notes:**

-The story will not take place in Japan. I don't know much of Japan's geography and I feel more comfortable setting the story in America as originally planned. Of course stories of other survivors in different continents will be written as news for Naruto's group.

-The characters' ages (at least the Rookie 9's ages) are between 17-22. Everyone else like Kakashi, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Itachi, etc (the rest of the adults) are the ages that Kishimoto originally wrote them in Part 1 of the series.

-Government programs mentioned are all fictional. Military mentioned from America and other countries will be fictional.

-The zombie pandemic will be explained as an infection of some sorts. Don't expect my explanation to be all sciency…. D:

**Summary: **_Regular life is broken for two unlucky strangers who meet under horrible circumstance with the help of comrades along the way, Naruto and Sasuke battle through a zombie infested America together. Unknown to them, the plot is thicker than they think. Yaoi _

**Warnings: Death, Violence, Language, Yaoi, multiple pairings, Lemons, Gore**

**Disclaimers: **I don't own Naruto or the characters. It's a sad fact I wake up to every morning.

_**Chapter 1-**_

_**The Beginning of the End **_

_The beginning of Z day…._

_Dallas, Texas _

The afternoons were chilly now as October replaced the summer heat wave Texas tortured its inhabitants with. Despite the drop in blazing temperatures, few lingered the streets as school called back all the children and teens and adults were at work. Naruto lay sprawled on his couch just staring at the TV, watching nothing in particular. He was insanely bored. Since the neighborhood kids were missing and his friends were at school, Naruto had no one to shoot some hoops with. His parents were out with both cars they had leaving the options of going to a mall or movie theater out of the question. He sighed heavily flipping the channel again. Crap TV….you get over a hundred channels and you get shitty shows.

Finally giving up all hope on the television, Naruto got up finding some snack of some sort to at least keep him distracted even for a few minutes. He had skipped school that day. Why? He felt like it. Now the classroom sounded better than absolute boredom at home. What good was it to skip school without a car? Fuck it, it was Senior year, he needed a break once in a while from tests, the teachers, and college talk. A tune from one of today's popular artist rang out. "Oh crap," Naruto cursed when he saw his father's name flashing on his cell phone screen.

"Hey Dad," Naruto said casually. He practically could see Minato grimace with disappointment on the other end of the line.

"Naruto, I know you are a teenage boy who thinks the world revolves around him but did you have skip school…again? Your mother is very upset as we speak. Occasionally has become usually and at this rate your Principal will either expel you or your credits*won't count for graduation," Minato said his voice soft yet kept a stern edge to scold his son. Naruto sighed heavily nodding to himself aware his father was right but at this moment graduation was the last thing on his mind.

"I know, I know but test after test each day is tiring. I'll go back now if you want, take the bus or something," Naruto said a bit annoyed with himself that he sounded like a whiny brat. On the other end he could hear murmuring or the sounds of telephones ringing. His father must be at work already.

"No, stay home, I heard there seems to be some kind of problem downtown. Tomorrow, though, you are going to school. No exceptions. Be grateful your mother asked me to call you because she is dealing with a client at work. Take care son," Minato said finally in defeat. The line went dead after that. His father must have been busy too judging from the hushed voices in the background. Naruto truly caused everyone trouble but he was a rebellious teenager and his parents were lenient to some extent.

Naruto went back to being a couch potato, switching the channel to the local news channel. Like always there was a story about a murder, a car accident, busted drug dealers, or immigration issues. "Reports of bitten victims are increasing. These strange incidents are growing rapidly in the US alone. Scientists and doctors say it may be rabies but until now, the cause remains unsure. CDC*claims the chances of infection are growing to become an epidemic and are asking bitten victims to call their number or contact the local hospitals for assistance. Symptoms include swollen eyes, aggressiveness, prone to violence, and loss of control…." Naruto switched the channel again. If people were being bitten, shouldn't animal control do something about it? People nowadays never think.

"Judgment day has come!" yelled a woman on the TV. Yeah and I'm the Dali Lama, Naruto thought a grin forming on his face. People were getting worked up for nothing. What's a couple of cases with bitten victims? So far nothing bad from what Naruto heard but somehow he had an unsettling feeling about it. Less than a few weeks had passed since news reached Texas about people getting bit by an unknown animal or so the news claimed an animal was the cause of this infection.

He switched the channel again – might as well watch cartoons than listen to people debate about the infection. Suddenly the alarms started ringing. The alarms used for tornado warnings echoed from house to house. They were probably testing the alarms as a routine but Naruto was aware that alarms weren't scheduled to test during the fall season. His cell was ringing again. Inuzuka Kiba, his best friend was calling him. Kiba was at his home, not too far from his, since he had two days of detention remaining and his mother prohibited him leaving the house during this time as part of his punishment.

"Hey dude, the alarms are ringing," Kiba said excitedly and stating the obvious. The poor sod must have been bored to death as well if he found emergency alarms exciting.

"No shit Sherlock. Kiba, don't tell me you are getting paranoid," Naruto teased. Kiba mumbled something that sounded like "fucking blond dumbass".

"Me, scared? Yeah right," Kiba replied snorting. "I was thinking this gives me an excuse to go over then we can play video games." Leave it to Kiba to go against his grounding. His mother knew her son ignored her punishment and by this point, Mrs. Inuzuka wouldn't be the least surprised.

"Fine, but don't go off blaming me," Naruto said grinning. On the other end, Kiba responded with a "Whatever", before hanging up. Naruto wouldn't dare admit that Kiba's company may ease the unsettling feeling that came over him. He felt slightly nervous just waiting for Kiba to arrive at his door. Ten minutes passed, the alarms still blaring, and Kiba was nowhere in his line of sight as Naruto peeked out the window. The streets were empty, well nowadays there were less neighbors to bother as some recently moved out without a particular reason. Half an hour passed and still no signs of Kiba anywhere near his block. What the hell is he doing? Maybe Akamaru needed to take care of doggy business. He was about to close the window blinds when he saw a figure running down the street.

Naruto quickly rushed out the front door and into his porch. No doubt it was Kiba carrying Akamaru. One of the fastest in their class, Kiba was a few feet away from him in seconds. The boy was out of breath and Akamaru whimpered. "What took you so long?" Naruto asked.

"In-Inside….let's talk inside." There was something about the manner in which Kiba said those words that chilled Naruto to the core. Or was his friend playing a prank on him? No, even Akamaru appeared shaken up by whatever happened out there. Strangely, there were no people running to their cars or even sign of life. Only the sirens echoed tauntingly. Kiba collapsed on the couch and Akamaru licked his face as some form of consolation.

"Look Kiba, I hate pranks like these! Tell me what the fuck is going on!" Naruto demanded and he could hardly help to plead for some form of answer.

"So-Someone…tried to break…into my house," Kiba explained in broken sentences. Now that was news. Their neighborhood had a low crime rate and anyone would be insane trespassing on the Inuzuka's property as they owned trained dogs. One bite could turn nasty. "Hana went out with some friends and she took her dog but the rest were outside in the yard. When I heard a crash in the kitchen, I was freaked out when Akamaru began to whine and the other dogs were nowhere in sight. Were they killed? I don't know….I don't know…shit." Kiba ran his hand through his hair in some form of frustration. Naruto didn't scare easily but Kiba was serious – he would never joke about his dogs that way.

"Did you call the police?" Naruto asked trying to maintain calm but his voice betrayed him. Kiba sighed shaking his head.

"Dude, I heard moaning coming from the kitchen. Who the fuck sticks around to face the intruder with no weapons nearby? Not me, I want to live," Kiba said chuckling nervously. As much as Kiba liked to spar with Naruto, it was for sport not for hurting others unless need be and Kiba wasn't one to run away even from an intruder. "Yes, I called the police, I may have flunked once but I'm not stupid. They placed me on hold and that's when I saw him. Looked like he was ready to die so I ran out of the house and called Hana and Mom…both of them wouldn't answer so fuck it, I finally came here."

"The news is getting to you Kiba. I'll call my Dad so he can clear this up," Naruto said smiling. His father's work wasn't high status but he had many connections to law enforcement. The call went through but the phone went unanswered, by the fifth time, Naruto groaned in desperation his father refused to pick up or was busy. He dialed his mother but she too, wouldn't answer the phone. Kiba was now sitting on the couch flipping through the channels his body relaxed but from the sharp reactions; Naruto knew his friend still had his adrenaline coursing through his body.

"They won't answer. 'Call us when there's an emergency!' Seriously what's the point if they don't pick up? We'll have to wait until Dad gets home," Naruto said taking his place on the couch. There wasn't much they could do for the burglar situation but wait for Minato to arrive home. The boys tried to distract themselves from thinking of the break-in, of how lucky Kiba was to have not been chased by the burglar, or of the infection the TV spoke about often. Each suggested new ideas of passing the time from video games to racing Akamaru around the house. They hadn't notice night fall or the fact it was way past the time their parents came home from work. There was no text back from Hana or anyone they knew for that matter.

"Dad's never late…if he is he calls and Mom does too," Naruto said checking his phone again in hopes of a flashing missed call or incoming text awaited him. Kiba lived with both his older sister and mother but his family too left messages if one was going somewhere. Heck, not even their friends at school sent them a text message or called them about what they missed in school. The school didn't even call to announce Naruto's absence and even the alarms had stopped ringing a few minutes ago.

"Let's just chill, they're grown adults," Kiba finally replied taking out a deck of cards from Naruto's drawer. He agreed with Kiba. Maybe they were over thinking and worrying too much. Neither of them knew when they left from the living room to Naruto's room, they were exhausted from waiting, from worrying, and they allowed sleep to claim them with Akamaru sleeping nearby.

* * *

Naruto, even to this day, can't recall what or who woke him up. Perhaps it had been the alarms blaring again, Akamaru's barking, the sound of screams, windows breaking, or maybe his intuition woke him. He sat up startled by the sudden yank from his strange dream to an even stranger reality. Kiba groaned and whined for Akamaru to be quiet and rolled over on his stomach. Sleep still clung to Naruto as he slipped out of his bed reaching for his phone. No missed calls. Shit. He suddenly stood frozen as he realized the sounds he woke to. "Kiba!" He shouted shaking his friend awake.

"Five more minutes," Kiba growled burying his head into the pillow. Akamaru saw the reluctance in his master's behavior and in one command from Naruto, he bit Kiba's leg. "What the!" Kiba yelled fully awake now messaging his leg.

"You need to look at this," Naruto said his voice low now. Kiba got up slowly joining Naruto at the window wishing this was a dream. The streets were scattered with personal belongings, with blood, people were screaming nearby, alarms blared, and not one police man was in sight.

"Shit… Turn on the news," Kiba explained in broken sentences. Naruto wanted to argue he'd had about enough of bullshit spewing from the national news but he decided against it. He scrambled for the remote to his own TV in his room. Cartoons suddenly became downtown Dallas, a burning downtown Dallas. Cars were stuck in traffic, people were running in the streets screaming, and that was only the beginning of the chaotic scene.

The news anchor spoke in a frantic tone. "Buildings are on total lockdown until the source of infection is cleared. Downtown is now a zone of Quarantine, police are saying no one is to leave without a thorough search and tests from doctors. People are in great panic to rush home to loved ones as the infection spreads throughout the city. As unbelievable as this may sound but people are claiming those infected by being bitten are rising from the dead."

Naruto nearly dropped the remote. Rising from the dead? Were these news anchors high! You would expect this from a cheap horror film but real life? The camera angled changed to another street where police were rushing out of their cars shooting at withering people. A fire engulfed a building as people rushed out of there with fear clear in their eyes. "Zombies? Their stupid excuse is zombies? Someone really needs to stop watching _Night of the Living Dead_.

"Naruto…" Kiba began but he was cut off by Naruto continuing his rant.

"This infection has gone too far! Call it rabies for heaven's sake but zombies…really!" Naruto was scared. He knew Kiba was aware of this. To suddenly come to this, an outbreak driving downtown Dallas to absolute chaos, he found it comical how it resembled a horror film. At the moment he played the star role of the main character that chose to deny such existence. Zombies didn't exist no matter how much of a horror enthusiast he was.

"Naruto! Fuck man! Look at the fucking TV and tell me if that thing chasing people is a human! Huh!" Kiba yelled beginning to lose his cool. A scene of a sickly man with sunken eye sockets, gray skin, intestines hanging out, his arms outstretched trying to grasp anything breathing, and his bloodcurdling moans were anything an infected person should look like. Those clouded eyes weren't the indication the man was dead…god…his body suffered fatal wounds yet he kept moving even when police shot him down, he still moved with no pain or agony expressed in his eyes.

"Christ…" Now it wasn't just one moaning man reaching for the crowd, but many more others with the same gray dull skin. The fear reflecting off of the eyes of people were the only indication this was no joke.

"The man who broke in…he looked like them…one of those things could have gotten me. What are we supposed to do now?" Kiba's home faced downtown and you could make out the buildings from his home but Naruto lived between houses that blocked his view of the city. How could he possibly know what to do? Shit like this isn't supposed to happen.

"Our parents are still out there Kiba," Naruto said quickly snatching his phone from the table. Fear overwhelmed him, his heart racing knowing his father worked in downtown and his mother worked as a school teacher in another neighborhood. They were beyond his reach.

"I know but if those things are already attacking downtown, I mean the person trying to break in could have been one of them. We need to get the fuck out of here Naruto! We need to find our parents or a safe place to meet them." Logical thinking was thrown out the window. Family came first to both of them and if they had to travel infested streets with lurking infected, then so be it. Naruto quickly dialed his father's number hoping he'd found some kind of safety. "_The number you have dialed is out of service." _No! Out of service?

"We can't go to downtown," Naruto said in defeat. Determination, if he had any at that moment, only would allow them to travel so far. Neither of them knew what to do than rely on the cheesy zombie films they've seen for entertainment. Who know how much of the myth applied to reality…and killing…they never thought about that either. Their parents were trapped in buildings probably crawling with those monsters and here they were standing dumbfounded in a secured home.

"Why not? Anything is possible Naruto! You can't just give up on me man!" Kiba retorted no longer hiding the fact he was frightened beyond belief or the fact he wished nothing more than to see his mother and sister.

"I know that! Downtown is a war zone right now, walking there is suicide! We need to stay here and come up with a plan of some sort. Find weapons and reinforce the house is our main priority," Naruto yelled back his own fear drawing out his quick temper. Desperate brown eyes glanced from the window to Naruto.

"Sorry…yeah you're right. I'm just…you know." Naruto nodded in understanding. Their family's safety filled them with more fears than zombies breaking in to the house. They changed into comfortable clothing, jeans and t-shirts also wearing sneakers in case they needed to run.

"There's a bookcase in the living room we can move to block the windows," Naruto said hurrying downstairs knowing what precious time they had before the infected came knocking at his door was limited or even over in seconds. Both teens rushed back to the living room, cooperating to push the bookcase against two windows facing the front yard. Akamaru barked towards the kitchen. 'Fuck the back door!' Naruto dashed to the kitchen hearing banging from outside. "Shit! Kiba, go down to the basement and find anything we can use as weapons!" The dining chairs may buy them time to think of a plan and without a second thought; Naruto pushed the wooden chair against the doorknob of the backdoor. Can zombies use doors? He'd rather not find out. Kiba appeared again pale holding a baseball bat he found and a steel pipe Minato promised he'd get rid of soon.

"I can hear them outside! They are scratching at the small windows," Kiba said panicking that they were already outnumbered. Forget reinforcing the house, they had to leave and fast. The problem was where would they go? Naruto decided it was best to worry about that later.

"Bat or pipe take your pick Kiba." Hardly believing he even considered using a weapon against another human being or something that been human was, Kiba chose the pipe his hands trembling. Naruto gripped the bat tightly in his hands swinging it a few times to test his swing. He'd been a baseball star once but those days were long and gone. "Go upstairs and grab my backpack we'll be using it for carrying our resources," Naruto ordered already looking through the shelves in search of canned food and non perishable food they could use later. Who knew how long they might need to travel to reach a sanctuary. Kiba came back with the backpack leaving a spiral, their cell phones, a few pens, and their Ipods inside.

"Waters…waters…" Naruto muttered his mind racing as he tried to recall where his mother placed the pack of water bottles. He found them behind the table and took the only ones that were left. Kiba packed away the canned food, he searched for cereal they could use to eat. There was no dog food for Akamaru but they'd manage by feeding him some of their own. A health kit…he was sure his mother had one in the bathroom. Kiba wasted no time retrieving a first aid kit from the bathroom along with some antiseptics and some pain killers. Clothes! The backpack was still sort of light and packing too much clothes would slow them down.

"Borrow some of mine," Naruto explained as they went back upstairs to his room dumping an extra pair of clothes. Clothes they could easily move around with. He also packed two jackets for each of them as the nights grew chilly. There was nothing else they could use as weapons in his house but Naruto wrote a note to his parents in his messy handwriting that they had to leave the house and that he was with Kiba. A window broke, a door creaked, and moans filled the house. "Let's get the fuck out of here!" Naruto took one last glance at his home, before opening the window from his room and letting Kiba (with Akamaru clinging to his shirt) go out first. As he was setting the first foot out on the roof, a rattling sound made him turn his head. They were already trying to gain entrance inside his room. He quickly got out and closed the window shut setting the mixed emotions of being terrorized out of his own house aside.

"What now?" Kiba asked.

"We jump on the roofs," Naruto replied simply. The roofs weren't more than a few feet apart but they were dangerous as they were slanted and losing footing sent you tumbling down with a sprained ankle or head concussion. Kiba gave him a bewildered look but there were no other options. The streets were crawling with limping figures of infected. Naruto found them horrifying as they swarmed into his front door, the ghastly moans filling the air contributing to the sense of appending doom.

"I'll jump first." Naruto walked carefully towards the edge pretending he was playing a game. If he fell, game over. Don't look down. His eyes lingered into the neighbor's yard, the dull grey figures scraping the door their arms reaching for anything living and breathing. He took in a deep breath before taking a few step backwards then running at full speed with the bat in his hand launching his body off the roof into another. His stomach collided with the raspy material of the next roof but he couldn't help but laugh at how scared he was knowing his life was at stake. Kiba followed his steps but his landing almost sent him toppling off of the roof.

"Shit…that was…shit," Kiba said attempting to find the words appropriate for his adrenaline rush.

"I know but we need to move now!" Naruto screamed when he turned to reveal a sight of zombies that finally succeeded breaking into his room and out the window. One at a time they jumped from roof to roof as the infected followed from below their wounded hands outstretched upwards as if saying they were ready for them to fall. Each roof they passed they heard the haunting moans, the shrieks coming from their neighbors, and the sounds of gunfire. Families were being invaded and they couldn't help. The further they traveled the more the terror unveiled as there were no roofs left to jump on for safety only the streets below.

"Oh god!" Kiba cursed as he regained his balance on the last roof. Naruto would see the hands reaching from below, the zombies trying to find a way to climb, a way to reach their prey. The ones who had broken into his room were now on his roof but toppled over as they could not jump. The relief spread hoping with the small time they had could be used to think of a way to safety.

"Where do we go?" Kiba asked looking around for a clear path of some sort. Naruto wasn't the brightest in the world but he always had an answer even if the answer made no sense. He didn't have an answer. There were no relatives he could call for help or cars to use.

"I don't know…I don't know Kiba." He hoped whatever they both decided, led to survival. Once he woke to this nightmare, the moment he realized his life hanged by a thread, Naruto saw to it that he would survive. No, he, Kiba, and Akamaru will survive.

* * *

_Denver, Colorado _

Sasuke Uchiha found mornings a depressing matter to be avoided. He disliked waking up in the wee hours of the morning to attend the University. Going to classes were meaningless, he already found himself ahead of most of the other students. Lately the population of his class began to decrease as the news blared with news of a growing epidemic within the United States. Sasuke hardly heeded warnings from fellow classmates who were packing up from their dorms leaving to their families spreading stupid rumors of those infected died and rose from the dead. He was a college student not some naïve teenager who poisoned the minds of other classmates of childish things like zombies. Halloween may be around the corner but pranks were of little amusement to him. There were a few cases of infection in Denver and his local area but the victims were bitten, as far as other information, the press released no news of "zombies".

Sasuke had to chuckle at the mere word. Silly. Few students roamed the hallways whispering the latest campus gossip of who slept with who. Even Sasuke was well informed of petty affairs between his peers but he ignored the girls giggling when he walked into the cafeteria for some breakfast. His campus was large with about six buildings all for dorms. He inhabited the east dorms which were the closest to the campus classrooms. Deciding on a simple breakfast he paid for his coffee and pancakes, taking an empty seat in front of the TV people were starting to crowd around once the channel was switched to the local news.

"Oh my god," a girl gasped her hands now pressed against her mouth in horror. The guys tensed or embraced girls who were for some reason were on the verge of tears. Sasuke shook his head wondering what on Earth led them to react so dramatically. A newscaster frantically relayed information when she was interrupted by the President.

"My fellow Americans, the issue of the infection can no longer go ignored. I swore to never lie to the citizens of this country and I keep my word even now. The infection is spread through bites of the host instantly killing the victim, yes that alone is a problem our scientists wish to know the solution and cure to, but the disturbing part is…" The President paused trying to recollect himself. "Those bitten arise again from the dead. They become violent without reason…." Sasuke scoffed no longer able to handle this bullshit. Congress must be high on something for believing the shit people spread about zombies.

The screen was split with the President speaking and scenes of different cities and states burning, people running in fear, and massive chaos as figures followed them closely behind, their hands reaching for the crowds. They were humans chasing humans or it seemed so at first glance until Sasuke noticed the chasers had sunken eyes, their eyes clouded, hair falling out, bruised and wounded, missing an arm, bullet holes here and there, skin grey, and moans erupting from their dried lips. 'What the fuck…' Sasuke hadn't noticed he'd dropped his knife on the floor and now stood up his eyes focused on the television like the rest of those who were inside the cafeteria. More horrific scenes unraveled as a whole town burned to the ground and those creatures kept walking or crawling even when a man shot them enough to over kill a person.

Some of the crowd around the TV snorted or shook their heads thinking their government a joke over a serious matter. Sasuke looked down at his breakfast, he lost his appetite. A few girls were trembling in fear unsure of how to react to the news. Was it a Halloween joke gone wrong? Either that or it was a biological terror spreading through the States and infecting people with ridiculous ideas like zombies. He wanted out. Sasuke slipped past the crowd his mind set to skip class that day. With all the mayhem going on and people scared as they were on 9/11. Sasuke found this as a rare opportunity to skip class (as if they had anything important to cover).

His dorm was upstairs but the thought of sitting in his chair with his laptop as his only entertainment seemed boring at the time and maybe his lazy roommate might be there sleeping the afternoon away. Sasuke decided against staying inside even if the weather was cool. Some students were getting into their cars or on their cell phones frantically trying to get in contact with relatives hoping to get a clearer picture of what was going on. Were the buses running? They weren't, as one passed flashing "Out of Service". He groaned as he didn't own a car.

Sasuke walked towards the next building of dorms wanting to take a shortcut to the main office. He wanted answers on or at least what the Professors were suggesting. Nothing would be solved if he panicked. Minutes later he found himself in the heart of the campus, in a nice walkway as students were running and speaking in frantic tones but none knew what to do. He kept walking keeping to himself not wanting to involve himself with anyone else. He was distracted in deep thought he bumped into a professor, but not just any professor.

"In a hurry, Sasuke?" The uninterested tone was a dead giveaway and those teasing eyes could only belong to Professor Hatake.

"Not really," Sasuke replied back noticing his teacher wasn't wearing his school attire then again Kakashi was never one to follow the rules. Kakashi smiled, grabbing him by the hand already pulling him away from a group of students rushing to class.

"Good, let's take a nice walk." It wasn't a request or offer leaving Sasuke with no escape. He couldn't say he disliked or liked Kakashi but he was probably the only student who Kakashi found worth his while. The only factor odd or strange was how Kakashi, even though he kept his secret smile plastered on his face, there was an urgency radiating from the grip of Sasuke's arm. He was dragged without a single complaint all the way to his dorm once again.

"You call this a walk?" Sasuke asked messaging his hand once Kakashi released him.

"We used both legs and crossed half the campus, yes, it was a nice walk. More importantly, has Itachi called you at all or your parents?" Were they talking about the weather? Kakashi sure made it seem unimportant the way he calmly asked but Sasuke knew Kakashi never mentioned Itachi unless he meant to prove or point something out. And his parents…well they were in Japan so with different time zones and such, Sasuke hardly talked to them.

"They haven't. Itachi is busy on a business trip in Dallas," Sasuke answered shrugging his shoulders. Really he worried more about his tomato plant upstairs than his family. He transferred to study abroad in America as did Itachi but now and then he would return to Japan. Kakashi's smile disappeared, a grim face now lost in thought until he sighed. "Is there something wrong? You can't possibly believe the shit spewing from the President?"

"Sasuke, there is a fine line between government lies and actual warnings. Have you noticed how planes have stopped flying as frequently? The Denver airport is in shambles with this massive panic. The increase in this so called rabies infection has caused panic but Denver has only a few cases. I would suggest meeting Itachi in Dallas as soon as possible. I have a bad feeling about all of this," Kakashi said rubbing his temples. Sasuke expected Kakashi to agree with him about all the silliness, about how the President made himself a fool in front of the entire country, and how this all seemed surreal. He was surprised Itachi was included in the equation.

"Why? I'm staying in Colorado, Itachi doesn't need my help," Sasuke replied wanting now nothing more than slip under his covers and sleep away this chaos.

"Itachi called me a few weeks ago to bring you to Dallas in case anything happened. I was skeptical of course, thinking he was having a brother complex, but Itachi never asks or does anything without reason. We should go now before the high ways fill up," Kakashi said his voice cool, stern, and for once, Sasuke felt inferior to the man. Everything was wrong. The way Kakashi frowned, his voice, his clothes, his eyes, and stepping beyond the boundaries of teacher and student. Itachi and Kakashi were good friends even if Kakashi was older than Itachi, he never went against Itachi's word.

"Fine," Sasuke finally said crossing his arms. "But, you don't actually believe the zombie nonsense?" Kakashi chuckled.

"Sasuke, there are a lot of things I don't believe in."

* * *

-*Credits – American high schools use credits or points taken from each course of each semester that you must accumulate up to a certain number in order to graduate. If you fail the semester of one class, the points don't count. If you have so many absences, the points may not count either.

*CDC – Center of Disease Control

* Rec room – Recreation room. Kind of like a living room in dorms but with entertainment (tvs, pool tables, couches, etc) for students.

**AN: **Fast paced, I know and this is only the beginning. Yes, this is SasuNaru and yes the two will meet soon. The rest of the characters will tie in together later. It does seem like it would take zombies a while to break in a home, but Naruto's home and neighborhood is close to a highly infected area. Btw, this is no beta-ed so you'll see a few mistakes which of course are all me. Comments? :)


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: **I've never been to another state except Oklahoma but I was a kid when we went on a camping trip. Point being, my geography skills suck in general, never took the class and if you live in the future states the group will travel to, I'm sorry if it's stereotypical or nothing like how it's described. Oh if the random weather in Naruto's part of the country seems off to you, trust me its normal. So on his end one day could be cold and the other hot.

**Warning:** OC Sasori and Deidara, Not Beta-ed all mistakes are my own.

-I'm not writing Sasori and Deidara as a pairing. I do like it but it just doesn't seem right to implement it in the story.

_**Chapter 2-**_

_**No Escape**_

_Dallas, Texas_

"Jump," Naruto said simply finding no other alternative than to confront their fears head on. Eventually a zombie will reach them from breaking through their neighbor's window on the top floor. They couldn't stay longer or they'd have a bigger swarm below them waiting for them to fall. Kiba gave him incredulous look as if he'd gone mad. He had to agree, he was crazy enough to jump down and ignore the fear for now. If they could find help of some sort be it police or an adult to take them under their wing, they had a better chance of surviving or getting in touch with their parents. At least Naruto saw it that way.

"No way!" Kiba protested holding on to Akamaru tightly.

"If we jump to the alley, we can avoid being seen. There are less of them in the alley then the streets," Naruto explained observing there were only five ghouls in the alley and the others in the street starting to accumulate into a horde. "We'll run and…kill if we need to." Killing. It sounded easy. A swing with enough force could kill but never had he ever thought of killing anything.

"Ok." Kiba zipped his jacket up further to keep Akamaru from slipping out. The pipe gripped in one hand his eyes a mix of emotions. "Let's do this." Naruto nodded his mind set on landing without making too much noise or hurting himself. His legs carried him and then he was weightless as he soared through the air. It happened so slowly, like the world had stopped suddenly. He almost tumbled over when he landed but somehow managed to regain his balance. Kiba followed him landing on his butt.

"Ugh, remind me never to do that again," Kiba said standing up again. A low growl from Akamaru reminded them they weren't alone. Without a hesitance, they ran down the alley avoiding clawing hands, shoving the bodies away from them. The adrenaline coursed through their veins the will of surviving pushing them forward. Kiba yelped as one of the grey hands grabbed a hold of his backpack pulling him to the ground.

"Kiba!" Naruto shouted turning back his eyes wide. He could save his friend but at the cost of ending a life. No, the man was dead already. It was kill or be killed. Tightening his grip on the bat, Naruto breathed in deeply trying to find a soothing thought to calm him. The head was the ball, he thought and swung away. Naruto had broken bones before either from daring climbs or his own clumsiness but the loud crack of bones breaking still made him flinch. The ghoul fell behind Kiba his eyes staring at the sky.

"T-Thanks," Kiba stammered his whole body trembling.

Naruto only nodded his eyes fixed on the zombie sprawled on the floor, blood splattered on the pavement. Bile was rising up his throat from disgust. Kiba placed his hand on his shoulder shaking him a bit. "Hey, I get it, but we need to get the hell out of here." All Naruto could do was let his legs carry him, let his instinct take over, and survive.

* * *

_Denver, Colorado _

Sasuke packed a few of his belongings, taking only what he thought valuable. His laptop was carefully slipped inside its case, his clothes thrown carelessly into a suitcase, his cell phone in the pocket of his pants, a few snacks for the trip, and other essentials. At the most it could take them a couple of days to get to Dallas but if people were jamming the highways then it could take them a week or so. Sasuke swung his backpack over his shoulder, and his laptop case he carried. He was almost out the door before he turned back, his eyes scanning the messy room (his side was clean but his roommate never bothered to clean his side), almost as if he would never return. He wouldn't miss it if he didn't.

Kakashi was waiting patiently by his car, his own belongings packed in the trunk. "You're slow," Kakashi commented watching Sasuke load his own luggage in the back. The young man made merely snorted in reply. "We're going to take the long way, don't complain." There were numerous he wished to whine about but acting like a child was not only against his nature but it accomplished nothing. Nothing was said between them as they drove away from the campus though the tension was clear. It had been an understatement when Kakashi said the interstate highways would be filled. They watched as the city tried to escape to other states hoping to find a safer haven. You could hear the screams and shouts of fury of fighting.

'It's worse than I thought," Kakashi voiced turning to an empty road. They were taking dirt paths but now and then they could see families packing belongings in their car or reinforcing their house preparing for the worst. All of it seemed like a dream, the departure from the University to now small suburbs trying to reach Dallas before the chaos hit there.

Sasuke dialed Itachi's work phone wondering if he could get in touch with the man as to where they should meet once they arrived. 'The number you have dialed is not in service,' said the cool female voice. Leave it to Itachi to turn his phone off during a time of crisis. Even as children Itachi would never be there when Sasuke needed him the most. He was used to it yet he had an unsettling feeling. "Not answering?" Kakashi asked his eyes never leaving the road.

"The usual," Sasuke replied simply. Neither of them said much for minutes but the anxiety clung inside the car.

A car alarmed brought puzzled expressions from both men knowing that people were desperate, even the simplest of cars were tempting for a quick getaway. Kakashi drove away from the noise wanting to avoid potential criminals."The government tries to prevent panic but it always turns out like this," Sasuke said scoffing.  
"I doubt there was much they could do without informing the people," Kakashi replied earning himself a smirk from his student. "Now believing the claims is another issue." Sasuke glanced outside his window finding nothing out of the ordinary other than some people standing outside their homes watching the cars go by and a few confused by it all. "What business does Itachi have in Dallas?"  
"He di-" Sasuke was cut off as the car drove over an unexpected bump in the road. "Kakashi! Pay attention!" Sasuke warned once the shock had passed. Kakashi stopped the car his face expressionless and turned behind him.  
"We ran over someone," Kakashi said calmly. Again the man never seemed to panic or show interest in anything but Sasuke went wide eyed taking off his seat belt and turned to look through the back window. Kakashi was right, on the floor laid a woman without showing any response that she was conscious.  
"We? You ran her over." His teacher was many things but a murderer? For seconds they stared out the window expecting the woman to get up or one of them to suddenly break out yelling for help but neither happened. "Go see if she's alive," Sasuke said nudging Kakashi to take the fall. The older man merely groaned finding the whole task troublesome but he knew that he should have seen the woman. He'd been distracted asking about Itachi instead of focusing on the road.

"Call the police. The last thing we need is going to jail for a hit and run," Kakashi said already out the door his expression hardly changing. The younger man rolled his eyes knowing when half the city is wondering what in the world was going, cops weren't waiting at every corner to see who ran over who. The woman probably needed medical assistance anyway and though Sasuke knew his fair share of basic first aid, he was an engineer not a doctor. Kakashi would only be good up until the actual medics came.

"Hello?" A female voice answered quickly. Sasuke paused finding the whole scenario wrong. For one the woman hadn't responded with the traditional "911 what's your emergency?" and the noises in the background were unsettling.

"A woman was just run over, she might need medical assistance. The address is Ra-"

"Dammit! Listen boy, we don't have time for small emergencies! Have you seen the news? I'm sorry but unless she's been bitten, all police are to be stationed from preventing people from leaving the city," the woman said frantically followed by a few shouts. Before Sasuke could even piece the information together, the woman hung up leaving an eerie sound of the phone losing signal.

It had been a waste of time. At least now he understood the city's main priority. Maintain and control. None of the two words sounded appealing or even the slightest reassuring that whatever was out there – disease or zombies, was going to be ok. He exited the car wondering how he should relay the message to Kakashi. The site was gruesome. Watching horror movies full of gore weren't his favorite mostly because it was unnecessary to film two hours worth of flying intestines. He hardly flinched when he saw people cut apart in movies but in reality the circumstances were different. He was overwhelmed by the blood, the missing arm, the grayish pale skin, and ripped out intestines. The bile was beginning to rise to his throat.

"She's been dead for a few hours at most. Go back to the car Sasuke." The gentle tone surprised him more than the corpse. Kakashi never used that tone with him before. As much as he would have liked to forget the dead woman sprawled on the floor with bloody clothes and glassy eyes, he couldn't find himself moving at all.

"The police aren't coming…no one is. They plan to block the main routes out of the city," Sasuke said his voice betraying his composed look. Kakashi sighed shaking his head in disapproval.

"Logical and rash. Keeping the infection inside one region prevents the spread rate from increasing beyond control and stupid because people will always find a way to escape. There will be more fighting amongst us than the infection with us. We'll have to find an alternate route even if it means walking on foot." Kakashi placed his hand over the woman's face murmuring an apology. Sasuke couldn't imagine how the woman ended up on a road near homes without someone else discovering her body. Just the stench was enough to have anyone wondering what was decaying.

Sasuke sighed heavily wishing now to be stuck in his dorm reading over his material or gathering his gear for fencing. They took one last glance at the woman unsure whether to bury her or not but humanity won over. Kakashi was about to grab the woman to carry her towards the dirt path when a sharp gasp caught them off guard. Maybe someone found them ready to dump a body in a local neighborhood but there was no one but them and the woman in sight. "Kakashi." Sasuke's breath hitched realizing glassy eyes were moving yet remained unfocused and the chest rising almost as if taking a breath of life again. The woman's arm twitched, then legs, then she began to move with her mouth opening and closing before a low moan was released.

"Get in the car," Kakashi frantically said grabbing Sasuke by the arm dragging him quickly back to the car. He hadn't noticed how he'd been mesmerized knowing a dead human had revived all like a sick dream. Kakashi started the engine, stepping on the pedal without even hesitating to check his review mirror for the woman. Sasuke could still remember to this day the glassy milky eyes haunting him even in his sleep.

* * *

_Dallas, Texas _

_South Dallas_

Naruto held the bat tightly almost as if it were his only link to salvation. The night was dark save for some streetlights and the eerie glow of television sets left on by their owners. He was exhausted from running, from jumping at every small noise, when Akamaru growled lowly, or when he heard even the faintest resemblance to a moan. Kiba was in no better shape than he was but the boy kept a strong front for the both of them even if inside his inner turmoil slowly extinguished hopes of finding safety. Ever since they ran for the alleys, they hadn't stopped to rest even once. The fear of being caught off guard by unsuspecting zombies brought horrific ideas to their minds. Now they walked with limited supplies and no sense of direction.

Hardly the two of them spoke in case a nearby ghoul heard them. Could zombies hear? Could they see? None of these facts were certain nor had Naruto or Kiba come close to test the theories out. Naruto hated to admit it to himself but he was at his limit. From hunger, to fear, to dehydration, to exhaustion, his body was screaming for a sort of break from all the stress. His feet were numb from walking miles. So far they hadn't found a place deemed worthy of shelter. Suburban houses were out of the question. Who knew who or what lingered behind those closed doors.

"Where are we?" Kiba broke the deadly silence his voice almost a whisper. Naruto wished he could specify their actual location but Dallas was one of the biggest cities in the US and just walking a few miles hardly pin pointed a direction on the map as to where they were.

"I don't know…well we passed the bowling place so uh, somewhere close to a highway," Naruto replied his brain trying to piece together the familiar places they passed along the way. He hadn't actually taken the time to observe his surroundings and neither had Kiba. They ran for a while until their legs gave up and kept walking until the last of the moans was silenced. This had been a couple of hours ago. Now they roamed around searching a place to rest.

"Naruto." Kiba sighed when his friend didn't even show the faintest sign he had heard him. "Naruto." He tugged on Naruto's arm gently. He wasn't expecting his friend to flinch and pull his arm away as if Kiba's hands were burning him. "Are you ok?"

"I don't know Kiba. I wake up to whatever the hell this is, my parents are in the city trapped in buildings, we were chased, and I killed someone, yes Kiba I'm just peachy," Naruto exclaimed. As much as Kiba could relate to Naruto, he didn't appreciate the sarcasm of their situation. He asked out of concern not to start a stupid fight.

"I'm sorry, you're right none of this is good," Kiba replied his voice low. Naruto immediately regretted what he said and punched Kiba lightly on his arm.

"I should be apologizing, it's only been a few hours and already we're fighting. Unbelievable." Kiba grinned shaking his head and patting Naruto on the back.

"Is that new?" Naruto had to smile. Ever since Kindergarten the two of them were somewhat of rivals until eventually they came to a truce. They were like two peas in a pod. Naruto was grateful he wasn't facing demons alone in the darkness of the night. "Remember when my Dad took us camping?" How could Naruto forget the countless memories of their childhood? The camping trip Kiba's father spontaneously announced one lazy summer day when the heat had them sweating just by stepping outside for some sun. For a couple of days they fished, set up tents, hunted, and swam in the lake as if they had been born to be wild. This was before Kiba's father passed, the good old days Mrs. Inuzuka baked her delicious homemade pies for her husband and children. Naruto smiled weakly at the thought.

"Yeah. Hana was so angry she'd been dragged along. Oh and the fish traps we made were awesome," Naruto said excitedly recalling the few tricks Mr. Inuzuka taught them for survival in the wild.

"Dad used to say we learned more outside than inside…" Kiba paused then held his pipe high in the air ready to strike. The lights were the only comfort to the sudden ruckus around them. Sirens began to sound again, another explosion off in the distance but close enough they could see the flames shoot up into the air and the smoke become one with the night. A few helicopters passed overhead heading towards the direction of the city where the lights illuminated signaled "All you can eat buffet." His father worked close to West End where tourists always visited and restaurants lined a whole street followed by museums and close to the aquarium. The city was beautiful even if Naruto felt most tourists visited merely to snap photos where JFK was shot.

"We should get out of here and fast." To add emphasis to Naruto's statement, gunshots rang close by that had them both wincing.

"And go where?" Neither of them had remaining relatives at least not in the country. Naruto's grandparents were somewhere in Italy the last time they called and he had no cousins or aunts or uncles. For Kiba, the boy was surrounded by cousins and distant aunts and uncles but all were scattered across the country. Friends were plentiful and staying over at a house would safe them trouble but the disturbing thought their friends had either left the comfort of their homes or worse…infected killed that option.

"A shelter center," Naruto finally said after much thought. During a crisis or if a crisis ever were to happen, there were shelters for people to go to. Most were in gyms or churches and easy to find. Naruto crossed his fingers they would get there safely.

* * *

_Dallas_

Finger crossing as a prayer worked to a certain extent. Mapping out the area killed about ten minutes until Naruto and Kiba agreed they were at least in a different sector of the city. Each "sector" had names that kids liked to make gang signs at school as a representation on what part of the city they lived in. Lame as it was, Naruto found it handy remembering rumors or detailed accounts of the area they were in. It wasn't a bad part of the city but neither the most exclusive. Neither of them wasted time searching for a church or a shelter as more gunshots, screaming, and the sounds of windows crashing brought fear back to grip tightly on their chests. Akamaru growled sensing the danger but he made no struggle leaving the security of Kiba's jacket. For an October night, Dallas was unusually cold.

Naruto nearly screamed when two figures ran in the dark holding what seemed like a Molotov. What the hell are they thinking? Before he could even utter a word, the bottle sailed through the air and landed in between cars setting them ablaze. The two figures excitedly watched their handiwork with pride and high fived each other. Kiba poked him hard trying to regain his attention. "Let's go, those whackos are up to no good," Kiba whispered watching the flames spread. He nodded gulping in air before he turned to quietly sprint away unfortunately the two crazies heard the crunching of gravel.

"Run!"

"Hey come back here!" The two crazies called out. Naruto kept running, never looking back, and wished this was all a dream. Zombies weren't real. People didn't just throw Molotov's out of the blue at houses. They reached another street and came to a sudden halt that had them on the verge of tumbling over. The entire street was outside their homes, standing outside watching as police cars blocked the street up ahead with two military tanks by their side. What the hell was going on? The crazies stopped behind them sighing heavily almost in relief having caught up to Naruto and Kiba.

"If you kids are done being stupid, get the hell out of here," spoke one of the crazies. Naruto wanted nothing more but to shoo away the taller man though something restrained him from doing so. "See the government is keeping the entire city on lockdown. We are to evacuate to designated shelters." The man snorts and his partner says nothing.

"Why should we trust you?" Naruto challenged his eyes never leaving the army tanks and the people clutching their children close as instructions filled the air.

Crazy One shrugged. "You don't have to. Run back to your Mommy and Daddy and see if they'll let you leave. It's a scam. Evacuated the University but once we were close to Fort Worth, they sent us back." A scam? Then why give orders for evacuation out of a city none of them could leave? Crazy One continued, "Almost like they want to round us up. Scary ain't it?" Frightful. Naruto had hoped they'd reach shelter and wait it out before calling his mother and father again.

"Deidara, stop," Crazy Two said firmly. The second man was shorter than Deidara though his features remained obscure in the darkness, Naruto could tell he wasn't all too happy with Deidara's ramblings. The man going by Deidara scoffed and murmured something under his breath. "Sorry, he's difficult to handle."

"Sorry? Yo Sasori I'm trying to prevent these kids from seeing what we saw. I have some decency left in me," Deidara exclaimed waving his hands in the air.

"The zombies?" Kiba asked rolling his eyes but in the night nobody saw.

"Oh no, worse. Some cops are shooting people down if they think a neighborhood is infected. Jesus, at school we were lucky to be out dicking around instead of class. Lock downed the entire school then the sent in security to keep students from leaving. A girl had a fever, just a cold you know. Shot her down. That's when I wanted out," Deidara said his voice breaking. Sasori placed his hand on Deidara's shoulder whispering something to him that had the taller man sighing.

"A-All schools are in lockdown?" Naruto's throat constricted as he thought of his classmates trapped in a school without an idea of what was going on outside. He should be at school throwing a fit security is keeping them locked up and no one could contact their parents. It's happened before, once some stupid kid had been caught with drugs. The entire school was forced to remain in their classrooms and not allowed to call their parents.

"Probably, ya'll are lucky but luck won't last if we are seen here. I can't say all cops are bad but c'mon bringing the military into a neighborhood…something's wrong. Stay here if you'd like and find out what they are doing or stick with us and we'll survive," Deidara replied his hand reaching for Naruto's. Should he join complete strangers? Their intentions weren't clear but they had no shelter, they were exhausted, and the scene in front of them wasn't appealing. Reluctantly Naruto shook Deidara's hand in truce. He could feel Kiba glaring but ignored him.

"Ok."

Deidara motioned them away from the scene into another street without as much attention. Under the first street light they passed Naruto made out that Deidara was a blond, his hair tied back though his bangs covered one eye, his brows drawn together in worry, and his shirt was soaked with blood. He felt his heart falter as he glanced at Sasori, a red-head, who also had blood splattered on his clothes. Kiba must have noticed as well because he raised his pipe and Akamaru growled. "Was it really the campus security?" Naruto asked through clenched teeth his fear threatening to overtake his confidence.

Deidara and Sasori stopped and turned to face them. "No." In an instant the blood coursing through Naruto's veins ran cold. He silently prayed in his head for strength but he had no resolve to kill living non-infected humans.

"Ever seen _Battle Royale_? It was a kill or be killed. You don't get it kid, we're fucking lucky to be alive," Deidara spat his anger flashing in his blue eyes. Sasori closed his eyes his body trembling slightly when Deidara began to push away his bangs. "Our school became Hell on Earth in a couple of hours. **This**is the price for surviving. For helping the fallen. Where does it get you? Nowhere." Deidara pointed at his eye, gauze drenched in blood covered it. Naruto flinched when Deidara removed the gauze revealing a bloodied eye even he knew would no longer serve him.

"Think about it and then tell me, do you want to kill those people? The world is ending kid and I'm sorry but I'm sure as hell not dying today." Sasori came towards Naruto his hand stretched out and a weak smile on his face.

"Deidara has a soft spot for kids so please come with us. There is a shelter center not far from here, we can take refuge there," Sasori said his voice calm. Sasori still trembled but he kept his stance not wanting to fall apart. They were all falling apart, slowly, but someone had to be the pillar of support. Sasori gladly accepted the role.

"Just get us away from here," Naruto said meekly glancing at the sky that now danced with smoke. Sasori nodded and no words were spoken for the rest of their trip. Exhaustion, fear, disgust, anger, sorrow, and relief had them worn out as if they'd been in this nightmare for years. As they walked passing under streetlights letting the darkness engulf their thoughts, Naruto could hear the distant sound of gunshots and bloodcurdling screams ringing in the air. He walked on feeling the hot tears streaming down his face leaving sense of the life he once knew behind.

* * *

_Denver, Colorado_

Sasuke pressed his head against the cool glass of the car window. There were countless thoughts swarming in his mind and none of them offered a positive outlook of their situation. He glanced down at his phone, the GPS pinpointing their exact location. They had traveled only ten miles out of the university and about to pass through a suburban area. People were out from their houses appearing either confused or panicked. Some were loading belongings onto their cars and others were just standing outside shaking their heads as if the world had gone mad. Kakashi stopped suddenly when another car rushed past them with luggage tied to the roof of the car. "Would you stay and fight it?" Sasuke asked out of the blue watching a man boarding up his house.

Kakashi closed his eyes for a second before sighing. "A house gives a sense of security even when there is none. Running requires you to abandon home, some people can't part with home. Hiding would be useless, I'll have to leave eventually so I would fight," Kakashi replied his voice indicating his thoughts were elsewhere. Sasuke couldn't recall a time Kakashi mentioned having any friends or family except Itachi. Sure Kakashi bedded different lovers but those hardly counted as some significance to Kakashi having any bonds. "And you Sasuke?"

"Hn. Depends, but we're already out fighting."

**1 hour later**

Sasuke tried to shrug the sleep away but his eyes were heavy by the time they reached a smaller county. He raised an eyebrow at Kakashi wondering what had made the man stray from his original plan of traveling. The older man only ignored him saying the roads were blocked and jammed. They were in heavy traffic with other people trying to leave Denver all at once. Sasuke peered through the window seeing some people get out of their cars in frustration. He could hear the blaring of the sirens, the angry complaints from the people surrounding them, and the whirring of a helicopter above them.

Sasuke unbuckled his seatbelt ignoring Kakashi's commands to stay put in the car. Other people were also exiting their cars wondering why the traffic had stopped moving. Surroundings became a blur, his main focus getting to the source of this traffic jam. In the back of his mind he knew it was illogical to wander away from the security of Kakashi's car but even an ordinary car crash couldn't possibly attract the attention or demanding shouts from other citizens. What seemed hours of walking, Sasuke stopped when a mob of people formed around. From his distance he couldn't see past the heads and swam through the crowd.

"Please go back to your cars," a voice echoed in the air. Sasuke managed to arrive at the very front where police cars barricaded the road. Their guns were out, a military tank stood behind them, and more army personnel lingered behind the barricade. Sasuke cursed under his breath, the woman on the phone had been right. Quarantine. The word came to his mind before the voice announced it to the others through a megaphone. From an entire defense on a road, the situation in the city was probably worsening.

"Why the hell should we! We have every right to come and go from this city as we wish!" shouted a man beside him. The crowd agreed with him their fists rising in the air as a threat.

"I'm sorry sir, but no one in the state of Colorado is allowed to leave," the officer replied shaking his head. It seemed the law enforcement wasn't too pleased with their task at trapping the citizens they swore to protect either. The crowd shifted and pushed their anger apparent and fists raising in the air as a threat they'd resort to violence. "Please go back to your cars." Desperation shone in the officer's eyes, his words ignored by the crowd. A shot rang out in the air silencing the crowd and one officer took the megaphone. "Until quarantine is established, no one can leave. Official orders from above."

Sasuke bit his lip then began to push his way through the crowd towards the back. Something wasn't right. True to his instinct, someone in the crown yelled and shot was heard. He whipped his head around to find people starting to scream and officers taking out there guns. Above the helicopter hovered as a reminder every move was being watched. He let his legs carry him away before he could become a victim in the line of fire. He ignored those who questioned him as he passed car after car. Kakashi stood outside leaning against the car his head in his hands. "We need to leave," Sasuke called out rushing to his door to collect his items. The older man raised an eyebrow in question and he still seemed irritated Sasuke had left.

"Don't give me that look, just trust me, ok?" Kakashi frowned making no effort to move from his spot.

"I heard gunshots, there aren't any of those things?" Kakashi asked finally moving away from his door and opened the back trunk. Sasuke gave a quick reply of "no" then sighed.

"They aren't letting us out of here. I don't know if some idiot pissed the cops off or if one of those things was in the crowd. Sticking around didn't seem like a smart choice," Sasuke said remembering the woman they had found earlier on the road. He pushed the thought away and focused on how they could leave. A loud explosion snapped him back to reality. Flames and smoke engulfed the sky and debris began to fall. He felt his body be dragged behind the car and warmth covered him. Screams filled the air as another explosion followed. The smell of burning oil overwhelmed him, his skin awfully hot.

"Gasoline truck!" Kakashi yelled into his ear. Sasuke recalled passing a truck carrying gasoline earlier on his short expedition. Some idiot must have missed a shot and unfortunately aimed perfectly for the truck. Kakashi let go of Sasuke and peeked around them. The cars behind them were fine but small pieces of debris still were aflame. He helped pull Sasuke off the ground and both of them could only gape at the scene. Houses were in flames and people were exiting out of them like ants when you kicked an ant pile.

The crowd was dead, Sasuke was sure of it. They had been too close to the truck and there had been little protection from the cars around. "Grab your things and let's go," Kakashi said clearly upset his car would have to be left behind. No options were left for the car since they were stuck in between cars. Walking enabled them to leave the road and not worry about taking routes.

Sasuke grabbed his backpack and Kakashi his own sports bag. The man was amazing when it came to sports. Kakashi lived and breathed on sports and Sasuke almost felt pity knowing his teacher abandoned the comfort of his home just to deliver Sasuke safely to Itachi. People were already making their way downhill when a few officers appeared with their guns out. "Stop or we'll shoot!" No one could leave. Sasuke exchanged a quick nod with Kakashi and they both ran downhill. Others followed them and in seconds gunshots echoed in the air. Whatever CDC or the government decided they were serious on keeping the infection contained even if it meant killing off innocents to protect other cities and states. Sasuke would not go down like this.

A bullet passed right by his ear but missed. The road they reached was scattered with confused people or those who were running back into their homes hoping to avoid the bullets. Flat ground never seemed so heavenly to Sasuke who almost tripped on his way downhill. Houses were their salvation against their pursuers who cursed when they realized other civilians were hiding inside their homes hoping no stray bullets ended their lives. Of course that didn't stop the cops from chasing after them. Sasuke pleaded for his legs to continue moving, there was no way he was going down without a fight.

When was the last time Sasuke forced himself to physical labor? He couldn't think of a recent recollection of even running or exercising on his own free will. Unfit and without preparation, he was having trouble keeping up with Kakashi. Sure the man showed no more energy than a snail but years of athletics had eased his body for any strenuous task. Of course pride swallowed any ideas of asking Kakashi to slow down. Even with fear and adrenaline pumping in his veins, Sasuke was growing tired. His feet were losing their balance and his side was starting to ache from the lack of oxygen.

Maybe if he focused on something he'd forget his body's pleas for rest. Calculus? Yes, taking a few derivatives, made the fog from his brain clear up in seconds he conjured a simple function. Unfortunately Kakashi didn't think the same and called out the younger man's name for attention. "What?" Over the chaos Sasuke was forced to yell out in reply. Kakashi stopped suddenly his sport bag almost taking a deadly aim for Sasuke's ribs. They were on the side of a house with plants of all kinds growing.

Kakashi pressed a finger to his lips motioning Sasuke to come closer but to keep his distance. They were out of the line of fire and the police had given up rounding up those who escaped between the houses or trees. A tall shrub covered them well from those wandering on the street. People were scrambling for belongings or arguing with each other who had the best idea on what the hell was going on. Others let curiosity lead them outside their homes and gaze at the mayhem around them in wonder and shock. A question began to form on Sasuke's lips when he spotted a little girl about six years old holding a Barbie by the arm. It wasn't the fact Barbie had become a dangling chew toy that disturbed Sasuke, it was the bloodied hands of the girl, the sunken cloudy eyes, grey skin, and her blond hair matted with dried blood. She slowly walked to a man who was too busy minding the helicopters passing overhead to notice her. Her pale blue lips opened emitting a low moan. Sasuke wanted to shout a warning to the man but Kakashi must have read his thoughts to shake his head and grip his hand tightly.

The man turned, surprise apparent on his features, but managed to smile weakly. He gently asked her what happened to her. If she was hurt but all the girl did was stretch out her free hand in want or need and moaned. Before the man could register the abnormality of the girl's appearance, the girl took his hand, Barbie long forgotten on the pavement. He tried to shake her off gently asking, no, pleading for her to let go. She bit into his flesh in response drawing a scream of pain from the man.

"Damn," Sasuke cursed in disbelief at the scene he was witnessing. It was too real. The man managed to reclaim some defense mechanism and kicked the girl off of him screaming a storm of profanities. "She's just a girl," Sasuke said his voice distant. Kakashi nodded in agreement, his eyes reflecting sympathy. Now the girl grew irritated the man had escaped her grasp and she came running at him, her hands menacing. The man ran away yelling for some form of help, thankfully his prayers were answered. Another man held a pistol in his hand, without hesitation, he shot and the girl fell forward. Bull's-eye. Right on the center of her forehead. What was the world coming to?

"C'mon kid." Kakashi nudged him snapping him from a trance. Before he followed Kakashi away from the scene, he glanced back only seeing the girl lying motionless in the middle of the street people gathering around her. For an instant he felt anger towards the man who shot her but she hadn't been human anymore. That's right, the infection made you anything but human. He trudged behind his mentor the bile threatening to rise at any moment.

"Hey, Sasuke are you ok?" Was he? Sasuke could hardly describe his emotions and it wasn't like he was going to have a sappy moment with Kakashi in the middle of two houses. Instead he shrugged and kept walking on knowing he was leaving behind his old life behind.

"Where are we going?" Sasuke asked keeping his mind off of the horrors they just saw. Kakashi always had answers even when he honestly had no clue if the answer sufficed.

"Leaving the state but we'll see how much ground we can cover until nightfall. The sooner we reach Oklahoma the better," Kakashi replied though there was an air of uncertainty to his reply. "Might have to stay at a motel." The plan sounded simple: reach Oklahoma then Dallas would become a more realistic destination. It could take days before they could reach Oklahoma on foot and judging by today's road block, traveling by car became the last option of transportation. Maybe if bikes or motorcycles came across their path they'd have more of a chance arriving to Oklahoma. Whatever happened they'd deal with it. Sasuke just wanted to find Itachi. Then he'd settle his anxiety for good.

* * *

_A few miles outside Denver_

_Colorado: Almost sundown _

About after a few miles the two companions took a quick rest stop near a gas station. The city seemed so far away to them, the escapade from the University just a dream now. Cars left no room to breathe on both the road and gas station. At this rate, the station was bound to run out of fuel in a matter of a couple of days. All kinds of people exited from the glass doors in business attire or even in pajamas. A few teenagers huddled together in a corner munching on snack bars while waiting in line to pay for gas. Kids roamed around close to their parents asking questions the parents could only weakly smile and say "Don't worry about it honey." Sasuke found a grassy area available for people to wait out the lines.

"What a pain, the line goes on forever," Kakashi said frowning when more people joined the end of the line. Thankfully gasoline was the least of their worries though food, water, and a map of the United States. Perhaps he could find a pack of batteries or a container for water. Realistically Kakashi had a feeling all the supplies he wanted were probably gone because they were the basic necessities. Sasuke fished out his phone from his pocket finding no missed calls, well no important missed calls. The rest were from a few girls from his class and texts of hopes he was ok. He held no grudges against his admirers but right now wasn't the time for storytelling and he couldn't think of a single thing to text back except the word "Goodbye".

"Hn." Sasuke placed his hands over his face wondering if sleep would claim him and by the time he'd wake, the line would be short. An hour or so painfully passed before he came to terms sitting here accomplished nothing. He walked around asking people for directions, some complied merely, and others rudely shooed him away. The girls festered over him, their eyes watching him wherever he went and with some luck they gave him candy, their numbers, water, a flashlight, and batteries. By the time he came back to Kakashi, the line moved no more than a foot from where Kakashi stood. He smirked showing Kakashi the items.

"I'll be damned, Sasuke used his charming good looks for something useful," Kakashi said pleased with the results of Sasuke's scavenge.

"Better than sitting here reading porn," Sasuke replied rolling his eyes when he saw the familiar erotic novel in his mentor's hands.

"Touché. No maps?"

"No maps," Sasuke confirmed. "But we can take Interstate 25 and then from there take Interstate 40 and it should lead us to Oklahoma."

"Bad idea my youthful friend!" Kakashi and Sasuke both turned to find a man wearing an outfit suited for Saint Patrick's Day than for everyday clothes. A young boy wearing the same outfit and bowl haircut stood next to him. You'd have to be blind to miss the resemblance between father and son. Sasuke had a hard time trying not to cringe away when the son who seemed about his age stretched out his hand greeting him and saying his name was Lee.

"Why is that?" Kakashi asked masking away his surprise of the man's appearance. The man who introduced himself as Maito Guy, laughed full heartedly almost seeming like he hadn't noticed the chaos around him.

"They're closing the interstates and main roads," Guy said smiling widely. It was unnerving just seeing both men too cheerful for a zombie apocalypse. Sasuke tried to avoid Lee's gaze but the younger man was persistent in getting Sasuke to talk or show some kind of emotion.

"Interesting," Kakashi replied. "What news besides that is there?"

Guy's smile disappeared now frowning and his brows furrowed together in worry. "Telling us to keep calm and stay in our homes. Of course people want to leave and the government says they're going to establish a few safe shelters where we can wait this out."

"But you don't believe them," Kakashi said nodding. Guy sighed and agreed placing a hand on Lee's shoulder. "Are you traveling on foot?"

"Too many cars and sitting isn't our thing. Wasting away our youth driving," Guy responded a smile playing at his lips again. "We're headed up North."

"Us South," Kakashi replied unsure why he even considered telling the man where they were trekking to. Maybe so that at least someone knew what became of them. He doubted Guy would remember them but he wanted someone to know that he and Sasuke had existed.

"Then I wish you luck my friends. One day I hope we'll meet again," Guy said nudging his son to follow him and they steered away waving at them. Sasuke watched them disappear among the sea of cars and wished them luck. If anything they all needed luck.

"We're leaving," Kakashi said suddenly and Sasuke bothered not to even argue. In the orange glow of the sunset they parted into the trees bidding their own farewell to Denver and to the lives they once led. They embraced their mission ready to fight or go down fighting until they reached Dallas and were reunited with Itachi once again.

* * *

**AN: **Uh so yeah…comments? I stuck to writing "Guy" instead of "Gai" and it seems both ways are right? Naruto is having a tougher time but next chapter won't be so merciless to Kakashi and Sasuke. I realized I misspelled Sasori's name but it's fixed now.

I understand if you think trusting Deidara and Sasori is naïve because truly it is but both Naruto and Kiba are still teenagers and after all the crap they've seen, being stuck with two strangers can't be as bad.


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